Oceans of Love
by Diane LD
Summary: BA AU. Buffy is barmaid in love with Irish sailor Liam, but not all is right in the world of our favorite couple. UPDATED!
1. One

OCEANS OF LOVE

Author: donnatellaMarks

Summary: B/A AU. Buffy is barmaid in love with Irish sailor Liam "Angel", but all is not right in the world of our favorite couple. 

Feedback: Hell yes! 

Distribution: Please, take it away. You can have it; you don't even have to ask. Just tell me where it is so I can brag about it to my friends.

Disclaimer: Yeah. I own them. ::snorts::

So it begins…

***

The Port of Sunnydale is a bustling town, a hurried nature in everything its inhabitants do. The port serves a hundred ships a day, and sailors are often seen wandering the town. They rush to bars and women with as much speed as they can muster; only hours until their ships depart for places unknown to even them. It's a nomadic life, the one of a sailor- no attachments.

There is a bar in this western town, owned by a one Mr. Giles. Giles spent his life mapping the farest reaches of the world, traveling to the most exotic places and meeting the most exotic people. Rupert Giles could tell many stories, but he rarely shares. In his increasing age, he left the sea, and opened up the tavern he wished was around when he was a sailor.

His tavern is the most famous in Sunnydale, but most of the time it is surprisingly uncrowded. People would stare at its exterior from outside on the street, staring, but never entering the bar. It would infuriate Giles, until he gave them incentive to enter.

Buffy Summers grew up in this town, her mother working as a prostitute to support her and her sister Dawn. Her father was unknown to her. Well not unknown; she knew who he was. She just had never met him. Like many of the other children in town, her father was a sailor, there one minute and gone the next. Not many of the other children knew their fathers either.

As Joyce grew older, and no one asked for her services anymore, the family grew poorer and poorer. Buffy was sent to work as a bar wench, employed by the stern Mr. Giles. 

Buffy was beautiful young woman, a fact Giles played upon. He depended upon her beauty to keep his bar open, sailors coming back to see the beautiful barmaid with golden blonde hair and piercing green eyes. It was said that you could see her soul in her eyes, a tale told by many a sailor in whispers in the night. 

Many knew of Buffy's beauty, she had been courted by many of the men in town, and countless sailors. But she never indulged their interests, staying pure in her refusal. It only served to make her more the desirable; the forbidden fruit. Buffy severely distrusted men, especially sailors. Her father was a sailor, and she looked at what all he did for her. She didn't want to waste her life waiting for someone who would never come again.

Lonely sailors pass the time away in Giles' bar, talking about their homes or conquests. At least life in the bar was interesting, was Buffy's view. You never got bored.

They call for Buffy, "Fetch another round!" a sailor cries and she obeys. She serves them whiskey and wine and other drinks, listens to their stories of faraway places. 

And wishes she could go with them. 

She wants to leave this godforsaken town, but she can't. She is tied here by her sister, still young at 13. She is young too, but has the look and maturity of someone who had to grow up too fast.

She will be nineteen in a few days, an old age for a woman not to be married. But Buffy refuses all their proposals, a wistful look in her eyes. She wants to leave this place so badly; wants to start over in a town far away from the Port of Sunnydale.

She is cynical and jaded, even at her age. Love is for fools; promises made in the dark aren't always promises in the light. She has no illusions; she sees the world for how it is.

The other barmaid Willow looks on her with pity. Willow loves a sailor named Daniel; she hopes and prays everyday that his path should carry him to Sunnydale. Buffy thinks her best friend is a fool for believing Daniel's declaration of love, but Willow ignores her and keeps on hoping.

"Nothing good ever came out of love," she would say, "only pain."

That doesn't mean she isn't interested in love. She'd never admit it, but she probably wants love more than other women. She watches young lovers with an expression of deepest longing, oh how she wanted to be that girl, safe and protected in the arms of the man she loved. She would be warm and unworried, her work or sister not weighing on her mind. 

Instead she was just cold.

She bore her pain well, though, a false smile always plastered on her face. To the world, she was the picture of happiness. Only Willow and Mr. Giles knew different.

Giles and Willow are worried about Buffy, every day she loses more hope. Pretty soon she will be a hollow shell, shuttered and dank, no reason for living. Willow is scared for her best friend. The bright enthusiasm Buffy had as a child has waned, and the Buffy she remembers is all but gone. She fades more and more, like a bright color dulled and bleached by washing.

Daniel is coming back to port next month, and Willow hopes he can help her think of something. Until then, she sits powerless, watching Buffy scrub the bar with false cheerfulness. 

A customer walks in and Buffy smiles to greet him, but her eyes are dark ad hollow. Willow chuckles ruefully as she thinks about what they say about Buffy's eyes. Maybe it's true, maybe you can see her soul in her eyes. If it is, Willow is puzzled as to why no one mentions the pain.

**

Just A start… Next chapter the arrival of Daniel and his crew…

Please, please, please tell me what you guys think of this so far… 

Sundevil009@yahoo.com


	2. Two

**

A/N- I didn't forget about it! I swear!

**

The early morning sun beats down on the streets of the Port Of Sunnydale, heating the cobblestone roadways to the point it would burn a barefooted townsperson. People know keep their shoes on their feet on days like these. Steam rises from the stone, humidity heavy in the air, as residents and visitors to the Port trudge their way to their respective destinations.

Heads of lettuce wilt in the market, children carrying their families' goods are weighed down with the burden of responsibility at a young age. But such is the way of the world in Sunnydale. Children are forced to grow up too fast. Some say 'God forgot about this town.'

Buffy Summers walks through the streets, observing her surroundings with the quiet hatred that one finds in most people her age in Sunnydale. This town has taken their childhoods, their chances, their love… Women await their lovers, and children for their fathers, a game of waiting that never ends. Never will end. Buffy learned that lesson long ago.

She rushes to her work, realizing she has tarried far too long in her contemplation. She sighs, and vows to stop thinking so much. It only complicates things. A woman isn't supposed to think. Thinking causes anger, and anger causes too much trouble. Buffy learned that lesson, too.

She'd been working at Giles' bar for a month when the first incident had happened. He was the first sailor she punched. Well, she had asked her fellow barmaids, what would you have done? He had been asking for it. People learned very quickly to keep their hands off the young Buffy Summers.

Those who hadn't, well, they learned soon enough. A few broken noses later, Buffy was even more desirable, the forbidden fruit of sailors. Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden; seafaring men are tempted in Giles' bar.

There is a buzz about town today; the word on the street is that the _Angelus_ is sailing back to Port. The _Angelus_ was a fine ship; many of the crewmembers were from Sunnydale. Thus many of the townspeople were anxiously awaiting news of the ship and its crew.

Buffy arrives at Giles' bar, seeing her best friend Willow pace nervously around the bar. "Wills?" she calls to her, and a stunned Willow is brought back to reality. Buffy laughs, "Just go down there Will. You're not going to get anything done today. I'll cover for you."

A grateful smile crosses Willow's lips, lighting up her eyes. "Thanks, Buff," she smiles. Daniel is the coxswain on the _Angelus_, and anytime anyone even mentions the ship, her ears perk up for news of her lover.

Though Buffy still thinks Willow is foolish for pining and waiting on Daniel, she lets it go. Willow knows exactly what Buffy thinks. There is no point in repeating it.

Giles looks at Buffy sadly, scared for the young woman. "Go with her Buffy, get outside. Take the day off," he tells the pair. Buffy moves to object him, but Giles gives her the Look. The look of a father to his daughter.

Buffy sighs and obeys. Giles is the closest thing to a parent she'll ever have. Her mother never cared when she was younger, and these days, she just sits at home and drinks herself blind. Giles has employed her, cared for her these past few years. She didn't know what she would do without him. When Buffy was first hired, it was for her beauty, an attraction for the bar. Giles has developed a genuine love for the girl.

The two leave the bar, Willow's enthusiasm carrying her and dragging Buffy to the docks. A crowd has gathered, waiting, just waiting for the ship to come in. Buffy sometimes thinks that is what Sunnydale is all about- waiting. Waiting for the world to somehow change, waiting for lovers and fathers and best friends who'll probably never return. 

She looks at the bright eyes of the people, of Willow, and envies how their happiness comes so easily. She knows Willow is not stupid, but she wonders how she can so blindly trust in love.

Children race through the crowd, running and bumping into people as they play their games. None of the citizens are rich; they wear the common garments of poverty. No one in Sunnydale is very wealthy, and few are well off. Life is lived one day at a time, one good day at the market to the next bad one.

A child climbs a tree, splintering his hands on the rough wood, but he does not care. The higher up he climbs, the more he can see off into the distance. Small ships litter the port, mostly merchants sailing along the coast to sell their goods. Suddenly he sees it, a point in the distance rapidly coming closer, flying across the blue water.

"It's coming!" the child yells, jubilation in his voice. He has no attachment to the ship; he is just a child caught up in the town's excitement. "It's here!" he yells again, sending murmurs of excitement through the crowd. Like a wave, it spreads, reaching out to the edges of the crowd. 

Willow turns to Buffy, paling in her nervousness. She has not seen Daniel in months, and she wonders about his love for her. She wishes she could relay her fears to Buffy, but she knows her friend is no one to go to for comfort on the subject of sailors. She tries to swallow down her fears, but the "what ifs" keeping coming. What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if he's moved on?

Buffy sees her best friend nervousness, her anxious demeanor and takes pity on her. She gathers her up into a hug and whispers softly to her. "He loves you, you know. He's just waiting for that ship to dock so he can see you," she says comfortingly. She doesn't believe it, and Willow knows it, but she is grateful to her friend for trying.

The ship docks and the people crowd around it, packing themselves even more tightly. Someone sets down a wooden plank and the sailors file off the ship quickly, many different emotions crossing their faces. Some jubilant, some excited, some nervous, some sad. They are happy to see the Port again. But for those who have lived here, it is a bittersweet homecoming- years in this hell of a town, only to return to it.

Willow sees Daniel among the crowd and she runs to him, and he runs to her and they crash in a hug that Buffy is willing to bet could shatter some bones. She snorts at all the women in the crowd, acting just like Willow. Running to their men, their sailors. Fools.

She raises a cool eyebrow as she spots a sailor with no woman as his appendage. He must not be from here. He's made his false promises in another godforsaken town. They're all the same.

She sees Darla coming towards him. Jerk! You're cheating on your wife with _her_? But then Buffy realizes she has no idea about that sailor. He probably doesn't even have a wife. But still... _Darla_? You couldn't do better than _that_? 

Buffy sees he could do better than that. He is dark and curiously pale, Buffy would think that he'd be in the sun all day, with an air of mystery about him. He's certainly attractive. To _other_ women, Buffy amends in her head. Not to her. Not at all. No. Not attractive at all.

Their eyes meet across the crowd and Buffy turns away quickly, hiding her eyes. She wonders what has come over her.

Willow and Daniel are walking back to the bar, love in their eyes. Buffy sighs again. Fools. Will they ever learn? Nothing good ever came of love. Nothing good ever came of loving a sailor.

**

A/N- Okay, I'm REALLY really sorry about the long wait for this chapter. ::dodges rocks being hurled in her direction::. When I started the fic, I had a whole idea planned out-- sadly, my creative muse left me and real life started again. Another reason this fic is progressing so slowly is that I was searching through ff.net and found a B/S fic with exactly the same premise--and I know for a fact that whoever wrote it pulled their inspiration directly from where I did. I haven't read the fic, as to not copy the story in any way, but I still don't like the idea of doing something that someone else has done before. But don't worry, I'm still going to write it, because of all the amazing feedback I've been receiving. My other AU story, Slayer and the Slave, is my main priority, but I promise to try and update this story as much as my muse lets me.

Thank everybody who reviewed this, and especially those who sent me personal emails telling me to get working. They are the true inspiration of this story.

****

Lady Moiraine, aimee, Ashley A, Ann, Nelo, elle, chris, AngelRose4, Emba, Jillian Ryn, big bertha, Lindsay, Kathleen, TK2, 

My personal harasser- **Balloonphobia**,

To **Erica** for her request.

And to **Kendra** for telling me to get off my lazy ass.

Much love to all of you.

-D


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